‘I was over at Jeremy’s yesterday evening. We’re planning Dad’s retirement party. You will come, won’t you?’
Bridie frowned when her grandad changed the subject.
‘Move in with me, and then I can leave you my council flat.’
‘Grandad! I don’t need the council flat. I’m with Julian, remember?’
‘I don’t like him.’
Bridie rolled her eyes. How many times had she heard that remark over the years? She had a feeling her grandad wouldn’t like anybody she brought to meet him.
‘What’s wrong with Oliver, the boy you’ve known since school?’
‘Grandad. You’re talking years ago. I haven’t seen him in an age.’ That wasn’t strictly true. She had seen him occasionally in Aldeburgh when she’d made a rare visit home, but she’d done her best to avoid him. She didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because she didn’t want to revisit her past.
She studied her grandad. ‘I’m surprised you even remember his name. And besides, Oliver and I were never girlfriend and boyfriend.’
‘Oh, yes, that’s right. You had a crush on that other boy. Now, what was his name?’
Bridie did not want to talk about that.
She thought about Oliver. She had been surprised to hear that he was still working at the same high school they’d attended – Layla had told her that he would be her new drama teacher. According to Layla, he was still single. Most of the teachers’ profiles were on Facebook, so typically nosy teenagers had read them.
‘You know, Layla showed me a photo of him on her phone … now what is the name of that—’
‘Facebook,’ Bridie said, rolling her eyes.
‘He’s still single.’
‘I know. Layla told me too. We were just friends, remember.’
‘That was then. What about now? He’s a good-looking guy.’
‘I’m with Julian.’
‘He never married.’
‘Who – Julian?’
‘No, Oliver.’
Bridie inwardly groaned. For some reason, even after the ten years she had spent with Julian, her grandad wouldn’t accept that he was the one. Perhaps he would when they got married.
‘Don’t you ask yourself why that is?’
‘Why what is?’
‘That Oliver never married.’
‘Well, no. Why should I? He has dated several women. Perhaps the right person hasn’t come along.’
‘Ah, but I think the right person did come along. She just got involved with that stupid producer.’
Bridie ignored the comment. Her grandad seemed to forget that the reason she and Oliver had never dated in high school was because there had been someone else Bridie was in love with back then. She did not want to think about him. Instead, she said, ‘I’m not married either.’
‘Well, there you go. Same principle.’
‘What do you mean?’
